The decline in customer service among airlines is so widespread that a genuine show of interest and concern is a rare luxury. We just got a reminder of what a luxury it can be.

Hikers, kayakers, environmentalists and those who love fine dining and world-class wines will find their own personal Nirvana in New Zealand’s fabled National Park.

With the amenities of a hotel, the warmth of a B&B and the charm of a country inn, Rabbit Hill Inn, in Lower Waterford, Vermont, is a good base for outdoor adventures or a do-nothing getaway weekend.

The shining example of the Solares de Portugal, Paco de Calheiros, offers an exceptional travel experience that goes far beyond any hotel. Guests of the Count and his wife can spend their days exploring the estate or touring northern Portugal

Our room was in a treetop aerie, elevated so that we looked out at the ocean from the tops of a stand of manuka trees. It was hard to know which to admire first – the 360-degree views of sea, coast and snowcapped mountains or the window-walled room itself.

The beauty of lodgings at the manor houses and country estates affiliated with Solares de Portugal is that each is operated by the owner, who lives there and is the host. Because of that, at Casa de Mogofores, we were introduced to Bairrada DOC wines.

While many of the lodgings in the Solares de Portugal group are noble manor houses or great wine estates, some have more modest beginnings. They may be a group of town houses converted into a little oasis of luxurious tranquility.

Staying in a noble manor house on a famous wine estate is the best way to explore Portugal’s famed Douro Valley region, home of Port wine.

Travelers looking for an experience that combines luxury lodgings with a rare chance to live in a distinguished manor hotel should plan a vacation itinerary in northern Portugal.

Luxury travel doesn’t necessarily mean a villa-sized hotel room with a bathroom the dimensions of a small ballroom and one-million-to-the-inch-count bed linens. Sometimes it means something far more subtle – and harder to find.